Westfield Mayor General Election 2025: Jeremy Berman

NEW JERSEY - The general election season is in full swing in the Garden State and Patch has asked local candidates to share their thoughts before Nov. 4.

Editor's Note: Patch sent out emails to all candidates to the email addresses listed for their campaign provided to the office of the clerk. The responses received will be published between now and the general election. Questions can be directed to edward.callahan@patch.com.

Name: Jeremy Berman

Age: 48

Town of residence: Westfield

Position sought: Mayor

Party affiliation: Democrat

Family: Married to Erica, an attorney in NJ. Two sons, Zach in freshman year at Westfield High School and Charlie in 6th grade at Roosevelt Intermediate School.

Education: BA from Haverford College, MBA from Columbia University

Occupation: Worked for over a decade at financial institutions like J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley. Then co-founded, ran, and sold a boutique investment firm. Currently a small business owner as a franchisee of Sandbox VR, an immersive virtual reality gaming company, with two retail locations in Paramus and Woodbridge.

Previous or current elected or appointed office: None

Why are you seeking office?

I’m running for mayor for two primary reasons. First, because I want to give back to the community that has given me and my family so much. And second, now more than ever, it’s important for good people to step up and work to make our communities stronger.

Ultimately, we are stewards of our town, and our goal should be to leave it in a better place than we found it. I believe local government can make a positive difference in peoples’ lives.

What's your reaction when you see businesses, etc. vacate downtown? What do you look for in new tenants?

As a proud small business owner, I deeply understand both the challenges and the rewards of entrepreneurship. Brick-and-mortar business ownership is difficult, particularly in the era of convenient online shopping and takeout delivery services, and it is disheartening when our businesses vacate our town.

As mayor, I will be a fierce advocate for small businesses across all of Westfield. That includes expanding support for the Downtown Westfield Corporation to ensure our downtown remains vibrant, inviting, and competitive. But my commitment doesn’t stop at the Central Business District.

I will actively work with and support businesses on Central Avenue, South Avenue, and every corner of our town, because the success of every business contributes to the success of our community.

Throughout this campaign, I’ve met with many small business owners, and will continue listening to and working with them to promote their success and ensure they are supported. I will continue to make Westfield a hospitable environment for business owners, streamlining approvals, improving efficiencies, and working to ensure new businesses can open quickly.

What's your approach to overdevelopment concerns in Westfield?

I am running for Mayor to preserve what makes our town special, not to change it into something unrecognizable. Any development in Westfield must always be managed carefully, because our small-town character, history, and quality of life are on the line.

I am firmly committed to preventing overdevelopment and high-density housing.

I have no interest or intention of seeing Westfield become the next Hoboken or Morristown. We must strengthen zoning protections to prevent any encroachment into our single-family neighborhoods and ensure that any future development remains limited to our business corridors and areas near train lines, where it makes sense.

With several large projects already approved, it’s time to pause, digest their impact, and assess how they affect our infrastructure, schools, traffic, and downtown vitality. There should be no new redevelopment zones or major multi-family projects beyond what’s already approved or required by law.

Talk to me about public safety, whether it's your idea on how to help prevent vehicles being broken into around Westfield, or some other concern, where do you see an opportunity to improve?

As mayor, my top priority is to ensure that every resident feels safe and secure in their home, on our streets and in our shared public spaces.

The Westfield Police Department is the backbone of safety in our community. Westfield continually ranks as one of the safest places to live due to the dedication, diligence and excellence of our Police Department. I will continue to support our outstanding police force, and ensure the WPD is well-resourced and equipped with advanced tools, such as license plate readers, to deter and prosecute car break-ins and thefts.

I will work to provide additional staffing, including night patrols, as needed, and work closely with WPD and listen to what they need to do their jobs.

Public safety is also about prevention. As mayor, I will work closely with our Police Department to enforce traffic laws, from yielding at crosswalks to cracking down on distracted driving.

To further protect pedestrians, I will increase crosswalks, install pedestrian-activated lighting, and upgrade streetlights in dimly lit areas. I will also prioritize improvements at problematic intersections and consider bike lanes and signage that aligns with the state’s Safe Passing Law.

I will advocate for speed limits on county roads within town to be reduced to 25 MPH.

Additionally, we must address the proliferation of e-bikes and motorized bicycles, particularly when used unsafely by underage riders. Efforts to mitigate these dangers require a comprehensive and collaborative approach: educating parents and young riders on responsible use, enforcing safety rules in partnership with WPD, and advocating for stronger state regulations.

What do you believe is the most important concern to address when implementing a project such as the multi-million dollar proposed improvements to Houlihan-Sid Fay Fields?

Large town projects require collaboration and must be managed with discipline, transparency, and respect for residents’ voices. As mayor, I will be proactive in communicating, listening, and being responsive to community input.

I will take responsibility for making sure projects benefit Westfield as much as possible, keeping the project on time and on budget, minimizing disruption to neighborhoods and downtown, and ensuring design and logistics decisions reflect the character and best interests of our community.

Also, for any investments in infrastructure, we need to consider the short term impacts and long-term challenges and gains. We must address projected impact to residents and stakeholders, interruption in services, budget concerns, parking and traffic impact, scope of work issues, contractor issues, among other things.

Finally, I will ensure collaboration with town agencies such as DPW, Town Council members, and other interested parties that are required to ensure proper approvals and the most seamless, least disruptive process to residents.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

While my opponent and I may share some policy goals, what sets me apart is my focus on integrity, community, availability, and values.

Being the mayor of Westfield is a full-time responsibility, one that requires showing up every day for every resident. I have the flexibility, availability and dedication to do just that, whether it’s at Town Hall, a new business ribbon cutting, or a Pride Day celebration.

I’ve prioritized being present at community events and will continue to do so as mayor, because every voice in Westfield matters.

From managing teams in finance to building a small business from the ground up, my professional journey has prepared me to serve our community effectively. As a small business owner, athlete, and coach, I’ve learned the power of listening, teamwork, and perseverance.

I bring people together, not just by making noise or in opposition, but by working together to find solutions, by hearing others, looking ahead, taking action, and delivering results.

While I haven’t yet held elected office, the processes and procedures of Town Hall can be learned. What truly matters is bringing the right perspective, principles, and commitment to serve Westfield effectively.

I believe how you campaign is how you’ll lead, and I’ve chosen honesty, respect, and collaboration. My campaign has been about ideas, solutions, and communities, never about tearing others down.

I believe leadership means elevating the conversation, treating people with respect, and focusing on what unites us, and that’s exactly how I’ll serve as mayor.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

My professional accomplishments have uniquely prepared me to lead Westfield with the fiscal discipline and analytic rigor of a banker and the practical perspective and insights of a small business owner.

I built a career on Wall Street analyzing complex financial markets, managing risk, and negotiating high-stakes transactions.

Today, I am a small business owner, navigating the daily realities of budgeting, zoning, permitting and workforce development, while balancing the needs of my customers, business partners and over 50 employees. This experience has given me a deep appreciation for both the challenges businesses face and the impact and importance of practical, transparent governance.

My skills are squarely aligned with what Westfield requires to balance our budget responsibly, guide smart infrastructure investments, execute on community priorities, carefully oversee Town Council approved projects, hold developers accountable, and negotiate what is best for the residents of Westfield.

What's a motto you live your life by?

While I don’t have a life motto, I do live by my principles and values. I value hard work, commitment, perseverance, dedication, curiosity, and honesty.

The quote by Vince Lombardi resonates with me: “There is only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything.”

What does it mean to you to represent Westfield?

Westfield has embraced me and my family since we moved here nearly 15 years ago. From my neighbors and friends to my cousins who moved around the corner, I care deeply about this town and the people who make it so special.

I would be truly honored and proud to serve as mayor and give back to a place that has given so much to my family.

As a father, I see this as a chance to set an example for my sons: that it matters to give your time, to support your neighbors, to stand up for what you believe in, and to work hard for something bigger than yourself.

Too often today, politics rewards the loudest voices rather than the most thoughtful ones. To me, representing Westfield means leading by listening, focusing on solutions as opposed to sound bites, and working every day to preserve the sense of community that defines our town.

I recognize the challenges Westfield faces, from managing growth responsibly to keeping our streets safe and our downtown vibrant, and I’m ready to tackle them head-on. My goal as mayor is to preserve what makes Westfield special while guiding it thoughtfully into the future: a town that is safe, inclusive, and thriving for generations to come.

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